S Jabrill Peppers
October 20, 2020
Q: Can you tell me what Jalen Hurts potentially brings to the Eagles offense? What kind of dimension he brings that you would have to prepare for?
A: He obviously brings that extra dynamic. Obviously, with his athleticism, running and throwing, he’s a smart guy back there that can make the throws to beat you. We definitely need to be on high alert.
Q: Did you do any more backflips last night after the Cowboys lost and the division kind of bunched up together again?
A: No, we still need to take care of business.
Q: You’re aware of the standings, obviously, right?
A: Obviously, yessir.
Q: Does that give you hope, optimism? What do you feel when you look at those things?
A: We don’t really do the hope thing, you know, hope you win. You put the time in, you put the work in and the results will speak for itself. We do know that we’re in the position, despite our record, and that we’re in the thick of the season right now with all of our conference games coming up. We know what’s at stake and we’re looking forward to it.
Q: You were part of a team a couple years ago that had that unfortunate distinction of going winless. I was wondering before you guys won, did that ever creep into your mind, like this team could go winless? Now, how crazy is it four days later to be talking about playing for a first-place game?
A: No, that thought never crossed my mind. I know the type of guys we have here. I knew it was just a matter of time. We were just a play here, a misread here, too many missed assignments. I felt like we were shooting ourselves in the foot more than we were losing ball games. But being in the thick of things, that’s just the way the league is. Everybody can be beat on any given Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, however we’re doing it now this year. You just need to take care of your business, don’t leave your fate in anybody else’s hands and take care of what you need to take care of.
Q: I’m sure you have some friends or some family outside of the locker room who are Giants fans. Do you get the sense of how starved they are for a big game? There haven’t been a lot of big games with a lot of meaning on the line here for years before even you got here. Do you get that sense from the Giants fans?
A: I’ve been really tucked in my cave. I know what this game means to me. I’ve never played Philly yet while playing for the Giants, so I’m definitely excited about that. Thursday Night Football, a lot on the line. I would hope everybody is excited about that.
Q: I’d like to talk about the two-point attempt by Washington Sunday. One, were you surprised they went for the two points there?
A: I wasn’t really surprised. Coach (Ron) Rivera is a real aggressive coach. Going for it on fourth down, two point conversions, things like that. We knew that was in their makeup.
Q: Just to follow up a little bit, when they lined up in that formation, describe how you got that stop? Was it something you recognized or felt?
A: West coast offenses, they all share similarities. I think we were in the right play call for what they wanted to do. The guys played great man to man coverage on the backend, the helpers dropped back, took away his immediate throws and forced him into a tough situation.
Q: With regard to Daniel Jones, I was just kind of wondering what you’ve seen from him, you’re on the other side of the ball obviously, from last year to this year? Do you see some growth? Obviously, it’s a different system. But what are you seeing so far?
A: Oh yeah, obviously, you see the growth. Not just his play but with his physique. Just standing in there, he’s stronger, he’s faster. He already can make all the throws, but now, I think he’s putting that a little bit more on display. I’m just excited to keep watching him grow. We’re going to keep playing hard for him.
Q: You guys spent five weeks coming in on Monday saying ‘the past is the past, let’s put these losses behind us and move ahead.’ How different of a challenge is it for the leaders of this team to do the same thing when you win a game on Sunday? Do you put even more emphasis on trying to move ahead? I would imagine the short time period before Thursday helps in that regard, but is there more of an emphasis from leadership to kind of turn the page now, let’s move on to Philly?
A: Win or lose, in this league, it’s best to move on to the next week. There’s no time to feel good about yourself or feel sorry for yourself. You can have a great game one week, then come out there and lay an egg the next week. You need to stay ready, stay hungry, stay motivated and keep putting the work in. It’s not really hard. The guys understand what’s kind of going on. We’re all here to win. We’re all here to be better today than we were yesterday. It’s not really as challenging as you think. But it’s definitely time to start getting the ball rolling.
Q: Just a quick follow up on a different topic. You know what it’s like to come home and play. We talked last year about how important it was for you to come back to New Jersey. Do the guys in the locker room have any sense of what this might mean to Coach Judge to play a game in Philly, his hometown?
A: I think they have a sense, but as we get closer to the game, I think a lot more guys start to realize.
Q: What do you think? What do you think his emotions will be?
A: We’ll see, we’ll see.
Q: We were told that Andrew Thomas did not start on Sunday because he was late to a team meeting. As a player, when a coach enforces those kinds of rules, no matter whether a guy is the 53rd man or a top five pick, is that an important reinforcement? Do players appreciate the consistency of that?
A: Obviously. I think it’s definitely good for the culture. No matter who it is, the rules are the rules.
